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Motley Crue‘s Nikki Sixx has commended KISS bassist Gene Simmons for his recent apology to those offended by remarks he made about depression and suicide. Writing on Facebook, Sixx suggested there were positives to have come out of the controversy and decried the KISS radio ban.
“[I] want to address and compliment Gene for publicly apologising. That was 100% the right thing to do,” writes Sixx. “This has turned into a bit of an anti-Gene Simmons bashathon and I don’t condone that nor do I support that radio stations across the country who are banning KISS.”
“The guys in the band didn’t do anything,” Sixx insists. “Gene said something that has been addressed and maybe in a moment of bravado he was just being cocksure and pompous? Out of everything in my life that’s has gone array… I try to learn a lesson. There is good in everything.”
Sixx argues that the controversy has yielded a positive in rallying people around the issues of depression and suicide. “When people are listening we have an opportunity to pass along some valuable and positive information,” he writes, before listing various statistics on the matter.
Sixx, a longtime friend of the fellow bass player, previously criticised Simmons’ comments. During an appearance on his Sixx Sense radio show following the controversy, Sixx labelled the comments “moronic” and said, “In this situation, I don’t like Gene [and] I don’t like Gene’s words.”
Simmons has faced a wave of criticism since giving an interview to Songfacts.com late last month, during which he trivialised the plight of depression sufferers, saying, “Fuck you, then kill yourself.” Facing an ongoing barrage of irate tweets, the rocker recently took down his Twitter page.
Though there’s been no official word on why Simmons’ Twitter was taken down, it comes on the heels of a #BanGene trend on the site. Simmons’ longtime partner, Shannon Tweed, wrote (via hennemusic) that she was unsure of why Simmons closed his Twitter channel, though she wondered if perhaps doing so would render Twitter trolls unable to delete any threatening tweets.
Meanwhile, a handful of radio stations from across the world have announced that they would no longer be playing KISS’ music, including Australia’s own Triple M. Network head Mike Fitzpatrick called Simmons’ comments “misguided and insensitive” and ordered the station to boycott KISS.
Following the apology, Fitzpatrick issued a follow-up statement. “We will give careful consideration to the thoughts and feelings of our listeners and those directly affected by Gene’s comments before returning any KISS songs to our playlist. Ultimately, we will let our listeners decide,” he wrote.
Simmons’ apology, addressed in the Sixx post, was unveiled on the 64-year-old rocker’s Facebook page, where it received a lukewarm reception from fans. Many called the missive a “damage control” ploy, with some longtime fans commenting that they would no longer support Simmons.
For help or information on suicide prevention contact Lifeline on 131 114, or visit beyondblue.org.au.
